Please send your
question regarding habitat development and
gardening for birds to gardening@birdzilla.com.
We'll answer as many as we can and post selected
answers here.

Q.
Wildlife doesn't just randomly occur in a given
area; it is there in response to habitat which
meets its needs. What are the four essential
elements of a wildlife habitat, including for
birds?DF -
Atlanta, GA

A. Food,
water, cover (protection from weather and
predators) and space to raise a family.

Tom
Patrick is president of the
Windstar
Wildlife
Institute.
Tom's company provides training and
certification in wildlife habitat
development programs. Thanks to Tom and
some of his Certified Wildlife Habitat
Naturalists for answering the
questions.

Q.
Feeders are used to supplement the foods provided
by trees, shrubs, flowers, crops in food plots,
vines and ground covers. What are the different
types of feeders?TR - LA,
CA.

A. Cylindrical,
hopper, suet, hummingbird, squirrel and
fruit.

Minnesota
Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation LandscapingDo you enjoy observing nature...hearing
the song of the chickadee...watching hummingbirds fill up on nectar
from trumpet vines...listening to the chattering of squirrels...seeing
the beauty and grace of a monarch butterfly perched on a milkweed...
experiencing the antics of a Mockingbird...the cooing of the Mourning
Doves...the swiftness of the Cottontail...and the brilliance of
a Cardinal or Baltimore Oriole?

If the answer is
"yes", you'll probably want to landscape your
property for wildlife so you can experience even
more from Mother Nature by attracting more wildlife
to your property.

Wildlife doesn't
just randomly appear in a given area. It is there
because of favorable habitat. The essential
elements that you must provide in your habitat are
food, water, cover and a place to raise a family.
To attract the most wildlife, you need native
trees, shrubs, groundcover, vines and wildflowers,
many of which will provide food and
shelter.

Native or
indigenous plants naturally occur in the region in
which they evolved. They are adapted to local soil,
rainfall and temperature conditions, and have
developed natural defenses to many insects and
diseases. Because of these traits, native plants
will grow with minimal use of water, fertilizers
and pesticides. Wildlife species evolve with
plants; therefore, they use native plant
communities as their habitat. Using native plants
helps preserve the balance and beauty of natural
ecosystems.

Remember the
function served by plants and structures is more
important than their appearance. In other words,
don't base your planting decisions solely on what a
plant looks like. Following are WindStar Wildlife
Institute's plant recommendations for wildlife
habitats in Minnesota.

Minnesota's
landscape includes a wide range of natural
communities from the hardwood forests to the north,
including the "land of lakes" to rolling hills and
stream valleys in the south. The Minnesota Native
Plant Society and Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources can provide lists of plants for a
specific region.

For more
information on improving your wildlife habitat,
visit the WindStar
Wildlife Institute web
site. On
the web site, you can also apply to certify your
property as a wildlife habitat, register for the
"Certified Wildlife Habitat Naturalist e-Learning
course, become a member and sign up for the FREE
WindStar Wildlife Garden Weekly e-mail
newsletter.